ISTANBUL - UEFA President Michel Platini says there are still tickets available for up to five European Championship matches, including the France-England game in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
That match is at the 50,000-capacity Donbass Arena on June 11, but fans have reportedly been put off by Donetsk's lack of accommodation and the high prices being charged for the few rooms available.
Platini said Thursday that "slowly but surely things are moving. I have no concern that the stadia will be filled to the rafters in the end."
Euro 2012 will be staged from June 8-July 1 in Poland and Ukraine, but has been troubled by the speed of its preparations.
UEFA executive committee member Frantisek Laurinec says "many challenges have been overcome."

11:33 AM

BIRMINGHAM, England - Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukemia, the Premier League club said Friday.
The 32-year-old Bulgaria midfielder developed a fever following last Saturday's game against Arsenal and underwent medical tests. Hematology experts confirmed the leukemia diagnosis Friday.
"We expect to learn more about Stiliyan's situation in due course and we have moved quickly to support him and his family," the club said in a statement.
"Stiliyan is cherished by many and he will get from Villa every ounce of love and support that we have to help bring this to a positive conclusion."
Petrov joined Villa in August 2006 in a transfer from Scottish side Celtic. He signed a new four-year deal with the Birmingham club in 2009.
Petrov made his 100th appearance for Bulgaria last year in a European Championship qualifier against Switzerland. He played for CSKA Sofia before moving to Celtic in 1999.

11:31 AM

Canada is hoping for one more dramatic twist at an already surprising CONCACAF men's Olympic soccer qualifying tournament.
After a shock 2-0 win against the U.S. and a disappointing 1-1 draw with Cuba in group play, the Canadian under-23 team will need a monumental performance against Mexico in Saturday's semifinal to advance to the London Games.
And the team needs to look no further than its captain for inspiration.
Nana Attakora is a player who has experienced success against Saturday's opponent, having led the Canadian U-20 team that defeated Mexico in 2009.
"They're humans just like us," Attakora said from Kansas City. "They'll make mistakes and we can't look at them like they can't be beat. Anyone can be beat. Everyone thought the U.S. would finish first in this tournament and they're out now."
Canada wasn't expected to make it out of the group stage, let alone be one win away from London.
"It was a tough group -- El Salvador, great team. U.S. obviously has a ton of great young players," Attakora said. "Getting out of the group has been an accomplishment. I think if we work hard we've proven that anything can happen."
The 22-year-old defender sat helplessly on the bench Monday as the Cubans snatched a late equalizer on a set piece to deny the Canadians a chance at top spot in their group.
The goal meant El Salvador, which produced a surprising 3-3 tie against the favoured U.S. later Monday to win the group and eliminate the Americans, will take on Honduras in one of Saturday's semifinals.
Attakora, who sat out against Cuba to avoid picking up a second yellow card and a subsequent suspension, said there was clearly confusion on the tying goal.
"It's something that happens, especially that late in the game," Attakora said. "You're hanging on, you don't want to give away a goal and things just don't go right.
"It obviously wasn't our best game. I don't think anybody was happy with the performance, but we've put it in the past and are looking forward to the game against (Mexico) on the weekend."
Attakora's performance in leading a young Canadian team that includes two 17-year-olds through a difficult group will surely turn some heads for a player who is currently without a professional team.
"It's great to see so many young players," he said. "It's only going to help Canada in the future. I think all the young players getting this experience now is going to help the country in qualifying for World Cups in a couple years."
Attakora had a bright start to his professional career at Toronto FC but fell out of favour because of a contract dispute last season before being dealt the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Toronto native, who made just six appearances with San Jose in 2011 and has been without a club ever since, recently trained with Hibernia of the Scottish Premier League.
Despite his personal uncertainty, Attakora wants to focus only on the task at hand -- getting to London.
"A tournament like this is good for anybody to show (what they can do), not just myself," he said. "But my main focus is coming here and doing well for the team. My club situation will take care of itself in due time. It's the least of my worries and right now I'm focused on helping the team as much as I can."
TSN.CA

11:26 AM

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 28 (Reuters) - A Cuban soccer player who may be trying to defect in the United States left his team while it was in Tennessee for an Olympic qualifying tournament, local media reported on Wednesday.

U.S. authorities declined comment on the location of Cuban defensive player Yosmel de Armas, who was not with the team when it left a downtown Nashville hotel on Tuesday, according to local television station WZTV Fox-17.

Another Cuban player told WZTV De Armas had left the team.

When De Armas was absent from Monday night’s final game in the tournament against Canada, the Cuban coach said the player was sick and had stayed at the hotel. De Armas had played on Saturday night when Cuba lost 4-0 loss to El Salvador.

Metro Nashville Police referred all inquiries to the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security had no comment about the player or his possible defection.

Tournament sponsor CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) would not comment on his whereabouts either.

There is a history of Cuban athletes defecting to pursue a potentially lucrative professional career outside communist-run Cuba. Seven members of Cuba’s Olympic soccer team defected in Florida in 2008 after a game against the United States.

“This is another case of a Cuban sportsman trying to get a decent life, to try to take control of his own career,” said Omar Lopez, general director of the Cuban American National Foundation, a Miami-based group that represents Cuban exiles.

“There is a constant flow of defections from the Cuban sports machine,” said Lopez, who emigrated from Cuba in 1992.

He said he was not at all surprised that the young man had not surfaced yet. “Most of these guys have family in the U.S. or a friend. So many Cuban players have defected before and they keep contact,” he said.

“Through a friend they send a message ‘I plan to defect and I’m going to this event’ and probably a family member or friend is there to help them defect.” Once the player feels safe, “finally they come to an immigration office.” (Reporting By Tim Ghianni in Nashville; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Greg McCune)

1:09 PM

AC Milan's Jean Pierre Meersseman has been encouraged by the results of the preliminary tests carried out on injured star Alexandre Pato.

Brazil international Pato has been struggling with thigh problems all season, leading Milan to fly the 22-year-old to Atlanta on Monday for consultation with specialist Frederick Carrick.

It is still early in the process but Meersseman is confident his fellow chiropractor Carrick, who specialises in neurology, will be able to bring an end to Pato's injury struggles.

"We did some early tests and the results were quite encouraging," Meersseman said.

Carrick, meanwhile, did not promise immediate results but said he is optimistic of identifying the root cause of Pato's problems.

"We have one of the most important laboratories in the world that can diagnose neurological problems," he said.

"If things go wrong in the brain it means that there will be motor skills problems. We want to identify the problem and try to 'fix' that part of the brain that is not working.

"Very often it happens that sportsmen have micro-traumas which one does not notice, but that can affect the muscles of the limbs. So the first thing to check is if we can help.

"Many athletes come to us to try to improve their performance. If our treatment is successful, we can place bricks where we want.

"The brain will change the way it functions and everything will work. I'm not one who sells false hopes, but often I realise my goals."

Pato has made just 11 league appearances for defending Serie A champions Milan so far this season.

1:01 PM

Atlanta soccer team still on learning curve, drop 11-0 match to MP

Ruben Duran, #17, and the rest of his Rabbit teammates hosted Pleasant Grove on Friday, March 16. The Rabbits will next play Tuesday, March 20, at home for Senior Night against Pittsburg.

by Joel Williams sports@atlantacitizensjournal.com

The Atlanta High School soccer team is still learning what it takes to be competitive in their district. Playing against schools with more established programs takes a great deal of patience as a coach as well as heart and determination for the players.

The Rabbits travelled to Mt. Pleasant to challenge the Tigers on March 13, and came away with a lesson in the form of an 11-0 defeat to district leading Mt. Pleasant.

Stressing an aggressive style of play, Atlanta Coach Tabitha Guevara saw Dominic Panaro, Chris Ibarra, and Casey Shaddix all receive yellow cards for fouls.

“At least they were playing aggressive,” explained Coach Guevara.

Though shut out, Coach Guevara praised the offensive efforts of Andrew Allday, Silas Henderson, Austin Greig, Isaiah Phelps and Christian Siever as the Rabbit team made several good runs toward the Mt. Pleasant goal.

Another Atlanta player to mention is Randall Bragg, who filled in for Elijah Abbott at goalie the last three minutes of the match.

Atlanta’s record now stands at 7-11-1 and 1-6 in district.

In the JV game Atlanta had another learning experience, this time to the tune of an 8-0 loss. Coach Guevara praised JV goalie Erick Nunez for “making a ridiculous number of saves.”

Jade Panaro played sweeper, giving Nunez some extra support in goal.

Coach Guevara also praised the entire team for playing aggressively and never giving up.

Next up for the Rabbits were the district front-running Pleasant Grove Hawks.

According to Coach Guevara, the Rabbits will look to play the revenge card to trump the Hawks experience. “They'll be out for blood Friday against Pleasant Grove,” said Guevara, “and ready to avenge their 5-1 district loss.”

Previously Atlanta fell to PG at the Hawks pitch on Feb. 24.

Atlanta hosted Pleasant Grove on Friday, March 16.

The Rabbit soccer team will play at home Tuesday, March 20, against Pittsburg for Senior Night. The JV game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm., and the varsity contest at 7 at Rabbit Stadium.

The Atlanta soccer team will honor their two seniors, Austin Greig and Erick Nunez, for their hard work on the pitch and in promoting the soccer program.

Youth Soccer

12:50 PM

by Chip Saye

Greater Atlanta Christian, the No. 1 Class AA team in last week’s Eurosport rankings, suffered its first loss of the season when it fell to Blessed Trinity 3-2 on Friday in a game decided by penalty kicks. Blessed Trinity, ranked No. 3 before moving up to the No. 1 spot this week, got the game-tying goal with about four minutes remaining in regulation, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post, and then won 3-2 on PKs. Greater Atlanta Christian (10-1), which fell to No. 2 with the loss, got goals from Kayla Puzas and Rachel Garcia. Blessed Trinity (5-2-1) won its third consecutive game after starting the season 2-2-1. The game was a rematch of last year’s state championship, which Blessed Trinity won 1-0. Blessed Trinity faces Clarkston at home on Monday before playing at third-ranked Westminster on Thursday. …

Pope’s game against Lithia Springs on Friday was cancelled because of weather, so the Class AAAA No. 3 Greyhounds enter the week 10-0 with a defense that has not allowed a goal. In Pope’s most recent game, a 10-0 victory against Hiram last Tuesday, the Greyhounds got four goals from Jessie Sexton, two goals from Patricia Tancredi, one goal and two assists from Emily Gaid, and four assists from Randi Schroedel. Pope has scored 59 goals this season, including 38 in the past four games. …

Class AAAAA No. 1 Milton rebounded from a loss to St. Pius with a 4-0 victory over ninth-ranked Centennial on Friday in a Region 6-AAAAA game. The Eagles take on West Forsyth at home on Tuesday. Milton will play at No. 2 Walton on April 19 with the region championship likely at stake. …

Other big games this week: Class A No. 4 Whitefield Academy travels to top-ranked First Presbyterian on Tuesday in a battle for first place in Area 2-A. … Class AAA No. 1 St. Pius faces two top-10 teams this week, playing at No. 10 Riverwood on Tuesday and at home against No. 5 Carrollton on Thursday.

Women's Soccer

12:43 PM

It's TODAY!! (Just sayin'...)
The Alan Vaughan FRIDAY Happy Hour at Philippopolis

Come wind down from the week and ease into the weekend with Draft Beer Specials, great European Food and cool music from The Beatles to Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Cat Stevens, Talking Heads, CCR, Nilsson and much more!

This Friday, March 23rd, 8pm till 12 or so...

Philippopolis Tavern, the new neighbourhood cool venue on Windy
Hill Rd near Village Parkway and the QT and Shell:1995 Windy Hill Rd,
Smyrna, GA 30080
(678) 383-6164
NON-SMOKING, Family-Friendly :-)

http://www.philippopolistavern.com/

Soccer Music

9:18 AM

This game is all about winning and as Ricky said "If you ain't first, you're last". In that vein I'm going to start trimming the league. AtlantaSoccerNews Mini League is the #1 league but it is not reflected in the leader board because of the algorithm used. I'm starting of with those that are in active but I will before the end of the season trim it until we are #1 in the leader board. I will capture the leader board and bring it to the Closing Ceremonies at the end of the season. I'll use the Banter Board for the notifications before I delete. This weekend I'm removing. 19 Sean Stevens 0 212 0 15 0 227 20 Chelsea FC 0 113 0 17 0 130 21 Arsenal 0 93 0 18 0 111 22 Mayor of Marietta RoversFC 0 61 0 2 0 63 Let me know if you have any issues.

10:19 PM

Georgia Soccer Park

Saturday 3/24/2012
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM 1,2,3,4,5,6 College Terminus AFDC
Sunday 3/25/2012
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM 1,2,3 College Terminus AFDC
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM 4,5,6 College Terminus AFDC
2:30 PM 4 Brewhouse FC Morehouse SC ADASL
2:30 PM 5 Piramex Inter United ADASL
3:00 PM 6 U14G Pearls Walton County Soccer in the Streets
4:30 PM 4 Estudiantes Atlanta Red Star ADASL
4:30 PM 5 Inter Atlanta FC E&P Silverbacks ADASL
4:30 PM 6 FC Brookhaven Pelicans Blue ADASL

3:08 PM

SOCCER'S RICH LIST

Lionel Messi (Barcelona) David Beckham (LA Galaxy) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Samuel Eto'o (Anzhi) Wayne Rooney (Man United) Sergio Aguero (Man City) Yaya Toure (Man City) Fernando Torres (Chelsea) Kaka (Real Madrid) Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)	€33m €31.5m €29.2m €23.3m €20.6m €18.8m €17.6m €16.7m €15.5m €14.3m

According to France Football, which is set to release figures for the best paid players in the world on Tuesday, Barcelona forward Messi raked in 33 million euros last year from wages and sponsorship deals.

LA Galaxy midfielder and former England captain Beckham, for so long the game’s top earner, came in second on 31.5m euros, while Real Madrid star Ronaldo collected 29.2m euros in 2011.

Elsewhere, Samuel Eto’o, who made a lucrative move from Inter to Anzhi Makhachkala last summer, is fourth on the list, with Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney fifth.

Wealthy Premier League outfit Manchester City has two players in the top ten, with Argentine forward Sergio Aguero and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure sixth and seventh, respectively.

The only other club represented twice is Madrid, with Ronaldo's team-mate Kaka ranking ninth.

Elsewhere, it is worth noting that Chelsea misfit Fernando Torres, who finally got back amongst the goals at the weekend, netted 16.7m euros during his disastrous first 12 months at Stamford Bridge.

There is not a single player based in Serie A in the top 10 but there is one representative from the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich skipper Philipp Lahm. Goal.com

9:22 AM

1ST Annual Coach Jay 5K & Croc Walk

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sponsored by North Atlanta Soccer Association

Race Details

Website: Coach Jay 5K

When: Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 8:00 AM

Start/Finish: NASA United Quest Soccer Fields, 605 Hawkins Store Road, Kennesaw, GA 30144

Parking: Parking will be limited to the parking lots at NASA Quest Park and Noonday Park. Please carpool if possible.

Course: Flat, off-road, grass course through United Quest and Noonday Soccer Fields. Exciting finish on front United Quest Soccer Field.

Registration Cost:

	Early Bird	After April 1st
5K Run	$25.00	$30.00
1 Mile Walk	$15.00	$20.00

All participants will be timed using disposable My Laps BidTag timing chips.

All proceeds from the Coach Jay 5K will benefit The Jay Ingram Family.

Kennesaw - 1625 Ridenour Blvd., Kennesaw, GA 30152(678) 903-0022

Marietta - 1062 Johnson Ferry Rd., Marietta, GA 30068(770) 579-0444

Online Registration available at: Active.com

Mail-In Registration:

Checks Payable to: North Atlanta Soccer Association

c/o Coach Jay 5K

P.O. Box 598

Roswell, GA 30077

Entry Form: www.coachjay5k.com

Packet Pick Up Locations

Anyone registering in-store before April 19th, online at Active.com, or by mail can pickup their race number and packet in person on the following dates:

April 18, 4pm - 8pm at Big Peach Marietta Store.

April 19, 4pm - 8pm at the Big Peach Kennesaw Store.

April 22, Race Day beginning at 6:30 AM

T-Shirts

Breathable Tech T-Shirts to every registered participant.

Must show up on race day to guarantee receipt of T-Shirt

Awards

Awards will be presented to overall Top Male and Female 5K and top Age Group Finishers (Top 3 M/F) in 13 age groups.

NASA

2:42 PM

We now have a company called Doggy Dogg selling drinks and snacks at Howard on Saturdays and practice days. Doggy Dogg focuses on different culture ingredients to an American classic, the hot dog. They source locally made franks, which are nitrate and steroid free, and pair them with locally made bread. On Saturday mornings starting at 8am, they will be providing locally made bagels with cream cheese and hot locally brewed coffee until 11am. After that, several hot dog choices will be made available to enjoy at the field or for the ride home. A percentage of the proceeds go back to AYSA.

AYSA

2:19 PM

The draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League took place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, and some interesting last-eight ties await.

Liga giant Real Madrid was drawn against minnow APOEL and will play the first leg of its quarterfinal away from home.

Elsewhere, French powerhouse Olympique de Marseille will host German outfit Bayern Munich before traveling to Germany for the second leg.

Chelsea, the only remaining Premier League outfit was paired with Benfica, and will play the first leg away from home.

Finally, holder Barcelona was paired with Serie A champion AC Milan again and will play the opening leg at San Siro. The sides previously met in the group stages of the tournament.

The first legs of the quarterfinals will take place on March 27 and 28, with the returns being held one week later on April 3 and 4.

The draw for the semifinals sets up a possible Barcelona and Real Madrid final in Munich

The semifinal first legs are schedule to take place on April 17 and 18, while the return legs will be the following week on April 24 and 25.

The 2012 Champions League final will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 19.